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ISC Holds First GA in Paris

16 Jul 2018

In a historic meeting on 4 July 2018 hosted by the French Académie des Sciences, the International Council for Science and the International Social Science Council merged and held its inaugural General Assembly (GA) as the 'International Science Council' (ISC), a unique global non-governmental organization representative of both the Natural and Social Sciences.

The GA opened with addresses from Catherine Bréchignac, Secrétaire Perpétuel of the French Académie des Sciences, and Prince Albert II. of Monaco.

Getting down to business, the main item was the election of a new President and Governing Board to lead the Council for the next three years. Representatives of the Council’s members elected Daya Reddy, a mathematician from South Africa, to be the first President. Peter Gluckman, the former Chief Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, became the President-elect, and will assume the Presidency at the next General Assembly in 2021. In his acceptance speech, Reddy spoke about the importance of inclusiveness, of involving all regions of the world in the work of the new Council. He called for the involvement of early career scientists in partnerships and agenda setting.

Participants also voted for the location of the next General Assembly of the Council, choosing between two bids, one from Montreal, Canada, one from Oman. The bid by the city of Muscat, Oman, carried the vote and it will host the 2nd General Assembly in 2021.

The inaugural events concluded on July 5 with a public launch event at the Maison des Océans in Paris, with keynote addresses by Cédric Villani, Esther Duflo, Ismail Serageldin, Craig Calhoun, and many others.